The purpose and results of the state testing programs in Utah are described. At present there are seven major assessment programs conducted under the leadership of the Utah State Office of Education. These include the three components of the Core Assessment Program: Criterion-Referenced Tests and item pools, Writing Assessment, and the new…

The Odyssey Project is named for the Greek hero, Odysseus, who for 10 years, sought the purpose of life. The Project is based on the philosophy that a new generation of American schools must be viewed as a lifelong quest for excellence. The project is one of 11 designs for schools funded by the New American Schools Development Corporation, a…

The goals, principles, and methods of an individualized educational assessment are described as implemented in a 12th-grade science assessment instrument undergoing field trials in Ohio. Pilot tests were planned for December 1990 and March and April 1991. The assessment design incorporates the duplex design of R. D. Bock and R. J. Mislevy (1988)…

Three articles on current research in testing are presented. The first article, "Testing in the Schools", discusses the role of testing in educational reform. In the 1980s, the overwhelming purpose of state standardized testing has become promoting accountability in areas of: (1) monitoring; (2) gatekeeping; (3) remediation; and (4)…

This resource guide reviews a variety of performance-based student assessment strategies, and provides examples of, and references for, the strategies. Strategies include anecdotal records, interviews, peer report and group evaluations, and portfolios. Materials in the guide include: (1) a resource guide update form for teachers; (2) department…

The validity and reliability of two techniques of assessing writing proficiency were compared in a sample of 300 South African students (in Standard 8) for whom English was a second language. The objective, multiple choice method was compared with a subjective, essay method. Students completed a Standard English Second Language Item Bank Test and…

In this article, the author proposes and discusses a collection of ten governance habits of boards of trustees that distinguish the average board from those that perform with excellence. They are interconnected, interlocking, and systemic. In the aggregate, the benefits of these habits are greater than the sum of their parts, because they function…

This inventory, is based on the database derived from Assessment Strategies in Scottish Higher Education (ASSHE) project, a survey of information about changing assessment practices in all 22 Scottish higher educational institutions. Its aims are to spotlight the diversity of assessment strategies and practices, identify core themes and…

This report provides background on statewide student testing and testing alternatives in Ohio. The status of achievement testing in other states is also discussed. Educational testing historically has included the two strands of intelligence testing and achievement testing. This report focuses on achievement testing. The two basic forms are…

This training guide is designed to help monolingual English scorers accurately measure the performance of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students on large scale assessment of open-ended mathematics and science performance tests. The guide can also help teachers accurately evaluate classroom work. The guide is arranged in such a way that it can…

This guide is designed to help teachers in auto collision technician programs for grades 11 and 12 teach the critical competencies of the program. The critical competencies covered are the High Priority-Individual (HP-I) competencies in Ohio's Occupational Competency Assessment Profile (OCAP) for Auto Collision Technician. HP-I competencies are…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on designing effective human resource development (HRD) programs that was conducted as part of a conference on HRD. "Leveraging System Factors for Increased Training Effectiveness" (David Ripley) is a conceptual paper that critiques current training design models and the lack of…

Anecdotal and conceptual research on assessor training programs in Australia since 1990 was reviewed to determine research priorities for the next 3 years and to identify the research's implications for policymakers and practitioners concerned with training assessors for three settings: formal training, workplace training, and human resource…

The 12 chapters in this second title in the series expose and explore the following significant issues underlying schooling and its intersection with the adult world outside of school: aspects of knowledge, gender, literacy across culture, and assessing what is learned in school and in the adult world. The chapters are: "Whose Knowledge Gets…

This monograph provides a status report on issues related to accountability, including standards and assessments, data systems, and the role of incentives for schools, teachers, and students in improving student achievement. Using information gathered from the literature and interviews with state administrators of vocational education, this paper…